A preteen and a 20-year-old from Pontiac could face assault charges after a suspected shoplifting scheme ended with one of the suspects threatening victims with a toy gun Tuesday in Rochester Hills.

Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies were summoned around 11:12 p.m. to the Wal-Mart on Adams Road to investigate a theft at the store. They were told a suspect — the 20-year-old — was in custody with loss prevention employees, but that he was not cooperative. While in custody, the suspect grabbed a pair of scissors and threatened to kill the store employees, they told officials.

The suspect then ran out of the store, and loss prevention officers followed, deputies said. The employees only backed away when a second suspect, who was later discovered to be a 12-year-old from Pontiac, stepped out of the purple Dodge Durango that the 20-year-old ran to with what appeared to be a black pistol.

Deputies searched the area, found the SUV, and pulled it over.

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The older suspect was taken into custody for the shoplifting and suspected felonious assault, while the 12-year-old was released to his mother, pending a juvenile petition for pulling the suspected gun on the store employees, officials reported. The petition for felonious assault was written, but deputies found the pistol, which turned out to be a toy pellet gun.

The investigation is ongoing, but the 20-year-old was taken to the Oakland County Jail to await potential charges, and the incident was reported to Child Protective Services.

About the Author

John Turk covers the police beat and the Oakland County Board of Commissioners for The Oakland Press. He is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University. Reach the author at john.turk@oakpress.com
or follow John on Twitter: @jrturk.